Payback: America’s Long War In The Middle East

John Cooley has been around the Middle East long enough to recognize connections among the region's multiple crises. He takes us from Iran to Lebanon, from Lebanon to the Arab-Israeli conflict and back to the gulf. Most of the story he tells is familiar, involving the often bloody events of the 1980s-terrorist attacks, wars, hostage-taking. Much of this turmoil he attributes to American policy failures-hence the title. Whether one agrees with that premise or not, the book is a compelling account of a dismal decade in the Middle East.